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Dienstag, 23. Januar 2018

Do you know that uneasy feeling, that
befalls you when you notice that your co-worker doesn’t smell so fresh anymore?
And it’s no like you both work at a construction site or in any other field that
regularly requires hard physical work or it’s the middle of summer... Well,
seems like you can’t make up any more excuses for them. But you start feeling
uneasy, because you know that there’s no subtle way to talk about it. But
should you even say something or should common sense and decency keep you from
it? Would it be rude? Because this probably isn’t the only uncomfortable
situation that you have to talk out with your co-workers, read on to find out
about the diplomatic way to deal with these situations.

Body
odour is still one of the few remaining taboos. It doesn’t matter how we look
at it – cleanliness and a flawless personal hygiene are criteria that we hold
in high regard and therefore easily judge others based on them. That’s why it
will be obvious to any of us just how exposed someone else might feel if their
hygiene is being criticized. We can’t help taking every negative comment
regarding this topic deeply personally. And because we as humans are capable of
empathy, we can understand how they feel. That’s why we are almost just as
ashamed to point out a lack of hygiene to others as they must be hearing about
it. The funny thing – studies show that most people would be thankful to
others, if those pointed out their flaws.

Of
utmost importance, however, is the way to communicate it. Nobody wants to feel
judged, exposed or compromised. That’s why you shouldn’t talk to all other
co-workers beforehand, turning the one with the problem into the talk of the
town. It’s best if you ask your co-worker aside, so that you can speak to them
privately. A good start is a statement, like: “I really value you as a
colleague and as a human being, but I would nevertheless also want to know if I
was in this position...” You’ll immediately show them that you are not about to
attack them personally. Not that great would be saying: “Everybody else thinks
that...”, because the statement implies that everybody knows and talks behind
your co-worker’s back.

It
gets a little bit more complicated if it’s not your co-worker, but your boss.
In this case, it would be wiser to let the person from your department who is
closest to your boss do the talking, in private and using an opening remark
like: “I thought it would be good to let you know about something before a
client notices...”.

Donnerstag, 18. Januar 2018

It happens
every year on New Year’s Eve – the wildest plans for the next twelve months pop
up. Of course, everything is supposed to get better. The most popular
resolutions always have to do with the own health: finally more exercise,
giving up smoking, taking up jogging, starting a die, eating more fruits and
veggies and less sugary sweets, and so on. Others plan to find a new hobby, spend
more time with their families or go more often to the museum, theatre or
concerts. The balance at the end of the year is usually somber, though – most
resolutions stayed unfulfilled again. Maybe you‘re part of the strong willed
ones who kept their plans. In this case, sincere
congrats! For all the
others, we’ll take a look at the reasons for failing and give you some advice
for pulling through.

What is the
reason behind always choosing virtually the same resolutions year in and year
out, but failing to fulfil and forgetting about them and starting over the next
year? Psychologists provide an explanation. If we have concrete plans for the
forseeable future and those are, furthermore, things that might actually
improve our lives, we’ll automatically feel very much in control of our lives.
This feeling of control is benefic to us and also gives us a sense of safety
and motivation, increasing our self-esteem. On the other hand, our brain is
very bad at accepting change and inevitably brings up old behavioural patterns.
That’s why our resolutions usually get stuck in the planning stage.

To avoid
all that, we’ve gathered some good advice for you:

1. Don’t take on too many things at once. One important piece of advice,
especially if you are working on ten resolutions at once. This will only get
you tired and frustrated and ready to throw in the towel. Take things on a
step-by-step basis and work on your goals one at a time.

2. Write down your resolutions and keep the
list close by. Studies
have shown that writing things down makes us take them into close
consideration. Written words are more important than
spoken ones, apparently. Make a list with all your resolutions and keep it
always somewhere close. It will remind you of your goals.

3. Get
support. Exercising will seem a whole lot easier if
you spend the time with your best buddies. They help you stay motivated and
achieve your goals. Whatever your new endeavour may be, let some good friends
share in the fun.

4. Make
plans for „hickups“. Everybody has moments of
weakness, especially when it’s about new habits. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you still
smoke that one cigarette or eat one more bar of chocolate. Otherwise you’ll soon think that you can’t accomplish anything. That’s
one step closer to giving up.

Mittwoch, 6. Dezember 2017

The
difference between young employees and the generations that came before them is
represented through the values they believe in. They care less about status
symbols and salaries and more about working with an added value.

The times when employees have been seeking
their personal fulfilment mainly in their free time, by doing volunteer work or
being active in associations, seem to be over. The boundaries between the working
self and the leisurely self have been blurred during the last years, so that
young employees expect their work to not only provide for them financially, but
also to fulfil them. They aren’t willing to spend all their energy and creativity
in boring office jobs anymore, they are looking for projects and tasks that
have the potential to change the lives of others long-term. That is one of the
main reasons for which more and more young people decide to become
entrepreneurs, working on their own.

It figures that this change of attitude was
spurred mainly by the start-up culture of tech companies. These are the best
and most comprehensive examples for the fact that it only takes the right
product or software to not only become wealthy, but also change the lives of
millions. At this point, virtually no one could imagine life without social
networks. Facebook is nevertheless not the result of some complicated
production process, nor did it come from some conveyor belt. It’s the product of
a student’s dream, that was developed and went online on a university campus
and later took over the world. And that is only the most famous example. It’s
the technological advancement that made the rise of digital nomads possible.

Because, besides wishing for fulfilling
work, the representatives of the new generation also value their freedom
greatly. 8 hour jobs are no longer their goal. That would be working where and
when they feel good. It goes beyond home office, it’s about dividing their time
freely in a way that allows them to spend enough of it on friends, family and
own interests. And the internet gives them this possibility to work anytime and
from wherever they want, basically from all over the world.

Will
this new trend prevail and will we soon see employees freed from their offices
and working from anywhere else instead? There is no answer to this question
because no one can predict the future. Long-term, it seems more and more likely
though that jobs will evolve to the point where employees have more
opportunities for self-fulfilment. The classic nine to five job could soon be a
thing of the past.

Dienstag, 14. November 2017

The current
Jobswype poll underlines it again – working abroad is still attractive for a
lot of people, even if they don’t represent the majority. The reasons are as
different as the people themselves. Some get sent abroad by their own company,
some move for love, some think they’ll find better working conditions and
better pay than in their home country, while others simply like the adventure of
it all. They are all facing a complicated and complex enterprise, that shouldn’t
be taken lightly. Without taking into consideration all reasons, because that
would be impossible, we’ll give you a brief overview of what to expect and
where to pay attention.

Moving abroad is always a life changing
decision, that can’t be taken easily. In order to minimize inconveniences as
much as possible, you should start by gathering all available information about
the situation and the conditions in the other country. Can you enter without
complications or do you need a visa or a special working permit visa that is
different from a touristic one? Do you have to prove that you own a certain
amount of money? Citizens of the EU have it easier if they decide to move into
another EU member state, but, as a general rule, every other state has their
own rules and regulations regarding immigration. And one more thing – optimism
is a good and helpful personality trait, but you should nevertheless know what you
can expect from welfare in the foreign country of your choice in the unlikely
event that you can’t find work or are injured. It could be a lot less than what
you are used to from home.

Also of importance – what is the general
situation of the job market in the foreign country? Are there professions where
the demand outsizes the offer, is there a lack of professionals? If you work in
one of those professions, you’ll have much better chances to find a new job.
But even if that would be the case, it’d be pretty reckless to see yourself in
the safe already. You aren’t used to the foreign system of job searching and
don’t have any professional or social network to fall back on for advice or
useful contacts. It can also be that life in the foreign country is ruled by
different societal and cultural laws and standards. You must prove your intercultural competence. The
first step: master the new language. Start taking
lessons before you move, so that by the time you are in the foreign country,
you’ll already be able to speak the language on a basic level. Informations
about the cultural differences are usually also part of foreign language
classes. You’ll know about
them in advance, having the necessary time to adjust.

Montag, 23. Oktober 2017

No application is complete without a good
portrait photo. Although the trend coming from the USA is to renounce the photo
in order to avoid any kind of discrimination based on looks, skin colour, etc.,
most European recruiters still expect one. If you invested a great amount of
time in crafting the perfect application documents, you won’t want a bad
picture to spoil your good prospects. We’ll share our
pointers for taking better pictures.

Make sure to
be in good spirits and play your favourite song in the background or do
anything else that gets you in a good mood. Your face won’t be able to hide a
bad disposition and that, in turn, won’t make you look friendly, positive and
in charge. Next step is to decide, what you want to communicate through your
portrait – what kind of position are you applying for and what attributes that
can be conveyed visually would make a good case for hiring you? There are a few
camera tricks available. Are you applying for a managing position? Then the
photo should be shot slightly downwards on you, from higher up. Are you
applying for an executive position where they are looking for a congenial personality?
In this case, the photo should be shot upwards, with the camera slightly down
below. In both cases, don’t forget to smile, in the latter even brighter, so
that your smile highlights your seriousness and competence, respectively your
positive and warm personality.

Choose a
neutral background for your photo. You know those pictures of people, whose
shirt or blouse matches the print of the wallpaper behind them and makes them
visually fade into the background? You’ll want to avoid
that at all costs. Think
about your mother’s advice and straighten your back. It won’t necessarily be
visible in the photo, but your whole body language will change with a straight
back and pulled back shoulders – you’ll look vital, optimistic and full of
energy. And those are attributes every recruiter is looking for. The outfit
that you wear should be professional above all. That obviously means no visible
creases and stains. Think about whether you want the photo tob e coloured or
monochrome – black and white looks very serious, colour on the other hand
livelier and warmer. Choose according to the type of position you are applying
for.

You still
have that great photo from ten years ago? Put it in an album, not in your
application! Even if it is your favourite photo of yourself, you should still
always use a new one. They will know the difference, at the latest at the job
interview and it won’t make you look good. “But it’s hard to take a good
portrait photo!” you’ll say. True. That’s why we saved the
best advice for last – let a professional do it. In a studio, a professional photographer will
be able to get the best out of your portrait.

It’s
been said that career networks are gaining more and more importance in regards
to finding suitable, available jobs, the loser being classic media. Or that
headhunters are on the lookout and snap up good employees. There is some truth
to it, as the run of newspapers declines steadily and as job seekers prefer to
look online. It’s also at least partially true that some openings aren’t even
advertised to the public, as employers rely on recommendations. Still, job ads
remain the number one recruiting tool – you’re most likely to find your new job
reading them. But do you know what makes a job ad good? After all, the company
advertises itself through it. Read on to find out what the differences are and
what you should definitely pay attention to.

Let’s agree on something right at the start
– ads which promise you a big salary which, in turn, isn’t at all proportionate
with the number of working hours are a scam and you should stay away from them.
A good job ad is always
realistic. Just as your application portfolio tells the
employer all there is to know about you at this stage, a good job ad tells you
e erything you need to know about your potential employer and the advertised
job. You should expect to find information about the company, the open
position, the expected qualifications, the application process and the salary. But let’s talk about each of those.

From the company description, you can take
away some basic data, like the name of the company, the industry and its
position within. You’ll know right away whether it’s a small family business or
an international conglomerate. Next, you’ll find out about the actual job –
what will be your tasks and how much responsibility are you supposed to take,
but also what qualifications are expected from you. Pay a great deal of
attention to the wording of the ad, because some of those key words should also
be in your application. And apropos of qualifications – they can be twofold:
must-qualifications and should-qualifications. The second category includes
qualifications your employer would consider a bonus, but which are not
indispensable. Should you meet the criteria of the must-qualifications, apply
asap! The ad also tells you about your future salary, but most of the time with
the addendum that your actual pay depends on direct negotiations. Companies
sometimes mention other applicable bonuses, like gym memberships or public
transport cards. The ad usually ends with some quick information about the
duration of the application process and a contact person for future questions.

If the job ad you’re reading looks like the
one described above and you also meet all the requirements therein, then don’t
overthink it and send your application out quickly!

Sonntag, 27. August 2017

You are new in your job, just started
working and want to reach the stars? Be in a managing position in a few years?
At first, for many it may look like (good) bosses possess a special gene or
some extraordinary personality traits. The truth is, they have put in vast
amounts of work and also had a little bit of luck. Sadly, we can’t provide you
a blueprint of how to be promoted to a managing position. We can, however,
provide a few starting points that will set you on the right path. Let’s get started!

1. Build a strong professional network. By building and
maintaining a strong professional network, you will find like-minded
individuals that are able to relate to your challenges and worries and provide
you with good advice and, most importantly, mentors. They have already arrived at the point that
you want to get to in a few years and can not only give you good advice, but
also point out opportunities for you that you’ve had otherwise ignored. Regularly
attend (social) events from your line of work (talks, seminars, fairs etc.) and
befriend the right people.

2. Always stay up to date. A
good boss always sets a good example for the team that they are leading. This
means that they have to stay up to day with all news and developments pertaining
to their field of work, so that they are able not only to help out their
underlings in moments of need and provide solutions, but also to give new
impulses. It’s only possible, if they’ll actively keep themselves up to date
with news, new developments and new methods. Start doing this right now and
your superiors will definitely notice and appreciate your effort and
dedication. In turn, you’ll be on their radar come promotion time.

3. Don’t forget the basics of your job. You want to be the
referee without knowing the rules of the game? In the same way, in order to lead a team, you
must be aware of every and each detail and procedure of your daily work. Don’t
be afraid to learn from other colleagues and don’t shy away from new tasks and
new (and increased) responsibilities. Without solid experience, you just aren’t
ready for a managing position.

4. The qualities of a manager. You won’t find the one
quality of a manager, because oft he differences between positions, domains and
companies. If you
nevertheless are reliable, a good communicator, ready to take on responsibility
and self-reflected, you are on the right way.